Trace Dependents does not detect a direct cell reference in Excel for Mac

Andrew Fitzgerald 0 Reputation points
2026-07-17T00:33:45.4433333+00:00

I am experiencing an issue with the Trace Dependents feature in Excel for Mac.

To reproduce the issue:

  1. Enter 1 in cell A1.
  2. Enter =A1 in cell B1.
  3. Select cell A1.
  4. Click Formulas > Trace Dependents.

Excel displays the following message:

The Trace Dependents command found no formulas that refer to the active cell.

However, when I select B1 and click Trace Precedents, Excel correctly draws an arrow from B1 to A1.

Since B1 directly references A1, I would expect Trace Dependents on A1 to identify B1.

I am using Excel for Mac version 16.111 (26071325).

Is this a known issue with this version of Excel for Mac, or is there a setting that could prevent Trace Dependents from detecting the reference?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | MacOS
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  1. Anonymous
    2026-07-17T02:07:08.38+00:00

    Hi Andrew Fitzgerald

    Based on your description I also try to test on my device, and it works correctly as result below:

    • Enter 1 in cell A1 > Enter =A1 in cell B1> Select cell A1> Click Formulas > Trace Dependents.

    User's image

    • elect B1 and click Trace Precedents

    User's image

    May I know whether this behavior is new in Excel for this Mac this version or did Trace Dependents work as expected in previous versions?

    I also have done some research, but at this time I have not found any documentation describing this behavior.

    If this feature was working normally in an earlier version and the issue only started after updating, you could try a temporary workaround by rolling back to a previous Excel version where the feature worked correctly and kindly wait for a future update that may address the issue.

    Update history for Office for Mac - Office release notes | Microsoft Learn

    (Please understand that we're not Microsoft support, this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators have no backend access and cannot directly intervene in Microsoft products. We provide only technical guidance and best-practice recommendations based on reported issues) 

    I hope this information helps and I look forward to your response.

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